Bunching device for windrowing attachments.



No. 874,399. PATENTED DEC. 24, 1907.

w. GATBRMAN- I BUNGHING DEVIGE FOR WINDROWING ATTACHMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.23.1906.

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WILLIAM GATERMAN, OF MANITOWOC, WISCONSIN.

BUNCHING DEVICE FOR WINDROWING ATTACI-LMENTS. I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that. I, WILLIAM GATERMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Manitowoc, county of Manitowoc, and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Bunching Devices for Windrowing Attachments, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in bunching devices for windrowing attachments.

The primary object of my invention is to provide means for not only retaining the material upon the windrowing bars for a suiiicient time to ermit the material to accumulate, but also or promptly removing the ma-v terial whereby all the material collected is simultaneously delivered.

A further object of my invention is to simplify the construction, and provide a structure which can be easily adjusted and mani ulated without getting out of order.

1 n the following description reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which,

Figure 1 is a general plan view showing my invention in position of use. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the bunching attachment, with dotted lines indicating the retracted position. Fig. 3 is a top view of the buncher fork detached.

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters throughout the several views. 1 is a mowing machine frame having a sickle bar 2 and windrowing bars 3 of any or' dinary construction. Abracket4 is secured to the seat post5 and a supporting bar 6 is pivotally' secured to the bracket at 7, and

provided with a series of holes 8 by means of which it may be adjustably connected with the bar by a in 9. The front end of the bar 6 is provide with a foot lever 10 pivotally secured to the bar, and also pivotally connected with a link 12 which extends rearwardly and is similarly connected with the elbowed arm 13 of a fork shank 14 the latter being connected with the rear end portion of the bar 6 by a pivot pin 16 inserted through a hole 17 in the shank elbow. A spring 20 connects the front end portion of link 12 with the rear end portion'of bar 6 and by pulling backwardly on the link, tends to retract the fork to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. The link.12 is also adjustably connected with the foot lever 10, which is provided with pivot gin holes 11 for that purpose, as shown. y depressing the foot le- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 23,1906. Serial No. 344.669.

Patented Dec. 24, 1907.

ver. 10 the fork is swung inwardl to bunching position against the tension 0 the spring.

It will be observed that the fork arms 25 are curved and when in bunching osition the free ends extend inwardly over t e inner or longer-windrowing bars and in front of the upwardly curved ends of such bars and the lower fork arm has a greater degree of ourvature than the up er. It is also preferably a little shorter. e material on the windrowing bars moves inwardly along the bars and lodges against-these curved arms of the buncher fork and u on and between these arms, so that when t e foot lever is released, and the reaction of the spring 20 moves the fork arms outwardly, the entire bunch of material is withdrawn positively and deposited upon the ground in the rear of the machine carriage. The fork arms are connected with the shank by bolts 27', and additional bolt holes 28 are formed in the shank whereby the fork arms may be adjusted with reference to the windrowing bars in accordance with the re uirements of the material. The bar 6 is pre erably a flat bar having its side face secured to the seat bracket, and its rear end portion twisted to present a horizontal flat surface for the connection of the fork shank. The link 12 is provided with a series of holes 30' for the reception of the ivot pin 31 which connects it with the for shank,

whereby the fork may be adjusted to swing in a field of movements extending over the windrowing bars to a greater or less de'gree or wholly at the side thereof if desired.

In operation, the windrowing bars direct the material laterally from the rear of the sickle sections and a bunch of such material is collected in the angle formed by the windrowing bars with the fork. Since the fork extends over several of the longer windrowing bars, the raking effect of the stubble on the collected bunch tends to push the material between the arms of the fork and the same becomes lodged between such arms in such a manner as to cling thereto to a sufiicient extent to permit the fork to draw the bunch oif positively when the fork is swung to a position indicated in dotted lines. The position of the fork in front of the upturned ends of the longer windrowing bars prevents the material from being clogged or tangled in such bars, so that it only re uires a slight engagement of the fork with t e bunch of material to permit a positive Withdrawal of the I latter, especially in connection withg the backward rake which is being constantly exercised by the stubble.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,

1'. In a bunching device for windrowing attachments, the combination with a set of windrowing bars having upturned rear ends, of a laterally swinging fork provided with outwardly curved arms adapted, in one position of adjustment, to extend over the inner windrowing bars in front of their rear end portions, means for holding the fork temporarily in such position, and means for swinging it laterally to positively withdraw il'ghe collected material from the windrowing ars. a

2. In a bunching device for windrowing attachments, the combination with a set of bars having upturned rear ends,

windrowi of a latera ly swinging fork provided with outwardly curved arms adapted, in one position of adjustment, to extend over theinner windrowing bars in front of their rear end portions, means for holding the fork temporarily in such osition, and means for swinging it lateral y to positively withdraw the collected material from the windrowing bars; the lower arm of said fork having a greater degree of curvature than the upper arm.

3. In a bunching device for winclrowing attachments, the combination with a set of windrowin bars having upturned rear ends, of alatera ly swinging fork provided with outwardly curved arms adapted, in one position of adjustment, to extend over the inner windrowing bars in front of their rear end portions, means for holding the fork temporarily in such osition, and means for swinging it lateral y to positively withdraw the collected material from. the windrowing bars; said fork havin an elbowed shank a pivotal support there or, an actuating lever linked to the shank, and a retracting spring} connecting the link with the support, and arranged to normally pull upon the link in a direction to swing the fork outwardly.

4. The combination with a mowing or reaping machine having a wind-rowing attac ment, of a supporting bar, a fork having its shank connected with the bar by a substantially vertical pivot pin and having forked arms extending rearwardly in substantially horizontal planes, a foot lever pivoted. to the bar, a link connecting the foot lever with the fork shank, and a spring arranged to normally swing the fork laterally away from the wind rowing bars substantially in a horizontal plane,said foot lever being arranged to act in opposition to the pull of the spring.

5. The combination with a mowing or rea ing machine, having a wind-rowing attac ment comprising a set of trailing bars with upwardly curved rear ends, of a fork supporting bar, a fork having its shank pivotally connected with the bar and arranged with the forked arms extending rearwardly and having extremities curved toward the wind-rowing bars and terminating at a point between the pivot and the upwardly curved portions 'of the longer wind-rowing bars, whereby the material moving laterally from the bars engages between the fork arms and over the free ends thereof, a foot lever connected with the fork and adapted to swing the same in one direction, and a spring adapted to swing the fork in the other direo tion, said fork being arranged to swing laterally toward and away from said wind row- O. R. ERWIN, LEVERETT 0. WHEELER. 

